The Board of Directors

Vice President, Western Canada, LegalShield

Patricia was born and raised in Vancouver and has resided in White Rock for the last 20 years with her husband Carlos, and 3 stepchildren. Since 2011, she has been working as the BC Regional Director for LegalShield. Prior to that she had her own Holistic Nutritionist practice in White Rock. Her previous work experience was in the hospitality industry in Vancouver.

As LegalShield’s BC Regional Director, Patricia trains, mentors, and works with a large team in a leadership role. This position puts her in front of various groups of people whether employees, small businesses, non-profits or others to present the many benefits of LegalShield.

Patricia loves the community of White Rock. She has been a member of the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce since 2017 and currently sits as the President of the Board of Directors. In addition to working on her highly successful business, she has other ventures within the community; facilitating networking, empowerment and soon to be the reopening of a ‘Reclaimed Vitality’ project.

Retired Banker

Bob has lived in South Surrey/White Rock for the past 34 years with plans to continue to make this area his home. For the past 22 years, he has worked in White Rock in a leadership position with TD Bank. His involvement with the local business community goes back to when he first started working in the area leading and co-leading events to attract more tourists such as the Semiahmoo Bay Regatta, Annual Christmas Sail Boat Parade, TD Concerts At The Pier and as a Board Member of the previous White Rock Tourism. More recently, he organized a group of business leaders called Friends of the Pier to raise funds for the rebuild of the pier. He has served on the Economic and Investment Committee for the City of White Rock for 12 years and chaired the committee for 4 years. Community recognitions include being nominated twice as Business Person of the Year by the Chamber, three awards from PAH for supporting their fundraising efforts and by the City of White Rock for contributions to the community. 

Lawyer, Cleveland Doan LLP

Alyona is a lawyer at Cleveland Doan LLP, where she has a broad civil and commercial litigation practice ranging from contractual disputes to construction litigation, but her primary focus is on strata property law matters. She recently moved out to British Columbia, from Toronto, Ontario. Outside of the office, Alyona spends most of her weekends hiking, boxing at her local gym, or refining her bowling technique. She is an avid traveler with one of her most memorable trips being to Tokyo, Japan. Alyona has a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School and obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from York University. She spent a semester of law school studying abroad, learning from a wide range of international lawyers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Realtor and Owner, Stewart Peddemors PREC, RE/MAX Colonial Pacific Realty

Stewart Peddemors has been a Chamber Member since 1991. His time as a local business person serving as the President of the Marine Drive Merchants association, City Councillor from 1996 to 2008 and as a Local RE/MAX Agent since 2006 has prepared Stewart to be a well rounded supporter of the business communities of White Rock and South Surrey.

Community Relations Director, Amica White Rock

Kellie grew up in Ocean Park and returned to White Rock to raise her son Marcus. She feels very lucky to love the community that she grew up in and enjoys the ability to live and work in the same town. Kellie studied Business with a focus on Marketing & Sales at Langara College where she also played basketball. During her 13 years in the Retirement Industry, she has been able to support seniors here in South Surrey/White Rock. Whether they would like to move or stay home, she tries to be a resource for them and be their support system. As the Community Relations Director at Amica White Rock for at least 4 years, she feels that it is an honour to support such incredible residents and work within such a great team. Her role also keeps her involved in the community by supporting local events and projects. She finds it such a wonderful thing to see how the community comes together for common goals. Kellie is excited to be a part of the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce to support local businesses as well as the interest of senior residents at Amica.

Managing Partner, BEC Entertainment Network Inc.

Bill is an accomplished Event Marketer, Promoter and Producer with a proven track record designing, building and executing dynamic, entertaining and profitable events through contracts with clients and industry contacts. Managing the process with stakeholders including funding procurement, strategic partnerships, government relations, marketing-communications and event marketing & management. He is a longtime resident of the South Surrey - White Rock area, a board member of the Rotary Club of Semiahmoo and is the Chair of the Youth Service Committee. Bill is also the President of the Penmar Community Arts Society which supports local community arts initiatives.

Investment Advisor and Financial Planner, RBC Dominion Securities Inc.

Linda is an investment advisor and financial planner with RBC Dominion Securities. With the firm since 1999, she has more than 20 years of financial-industry experience. Her connection to the Semiahmoo Peninsula, however, spans decades.

Born in White Rock, Linda grew up in Surrey, and studied business administration – with a major in finance – at Simon Fraser University. Although her career took her to Toronto for a few years, family and community drew her back to South Surrey.

Linda has been a member of the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce since the summer of 2017, and has enjoyed being an ambassador at several chamber events. She is also a member of the Semiahmoo Rotary Club and an advocate for women in business.

Linda is highly organized, and has been involved in the development and oversight of several major business initiatives for RBC Dominion Securities, Canada’s number-one wealth management firm. Her skills have not gone unrecognized. She has received a number of performance awards over the years for going above and beyond in her various roles with the company. Linda knows how to lead, but is also a highly competent team player.

Outside of her professional life, Linda loves to dance, catch up with friends and enjoys the outdoors. Integrity, compassion and equality are core values to Linda, and she is confident they will serve her well in representing the chamber.

General Manager & Project Manager, Pacific Inn / DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel South Surrey, Fountana Group

Margarett Lange is the hotel General Manager & Project Manager for the Pacific Inn / Doubletree by Hilton Hotel South Surrey conversion project. Margarett joined Fountana Group in 2018 where she is responsible for the management of Fountana Hotels, Beverage and Film divisions. Prior to joining Fountana Group, she worked with Starwood Hotels for over a decade. She is excited to be reviving the Pacific Inn Hotel landmark, which is the Gateway to Canada and will be the spark of South Surrey. Margarett has over 25 years experience in the hospitality, tourism and film industry sectors with the majority of her work in Surrey, BC. She has been an active member of the Surrey community and is passionate about building long lasting relationships and being a trusted advisor to her clients. Margarett’s dedicated attention to quality, tenacious energy and hands on approach ensures visitors will fall in love with our vibrant city and all it has to offer!

Director, White Rock Museum & Archives

Anthony Manning is the White Rock Museum & Archives' representative to the Chamber. He's lived in White Rock since 2014 and served on city council 2018-22. Anthony believes connecting businesses and residents makes a stronger, more vibrant community. He has over three decades of experience in commercial aviation, with Air Canada Express since 2006 as a Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) and previously in a variety of management positions with United Airlines in San Francisco, where he lived for 20 years. The child of a military family, Anthony grew up in Germany, Washington, DC and Southern California. He earned a Bachelors in Journalism from Humboldt State University and a Masters in History from American Military University.

President, Comfort Keepers

Heather Martin has many years of professional and general management experience and has used this experience to build her own successful corporation, Comfort Keepers, servicing the whole of the lower mainland and Victoria. Prior to venturing into Comfort Keepers, she worked for 18 years with a US based company assisting with public relations, acquisitions, divestitures and general administration.

Through Comfort Keepers, she is very involved in the South Surrey/White Rock community and helps organize programs and events for seniors. Comfort Keepers was awarded the 2017 Business Excellence Award from the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce. She spends her spare time helping and volunteering with organizations like Luke 15 House and preparing and serving meals at The Door Is Open, Vancouver and Surrey Urban Missions.

Heather is the Chair for the Semiahmoo Seniors Planning Table and Co-Chair on the Burnaby Seniors Resources Society. She is also the Vice President of the Seniors Come Share Board. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Psychology and is a Certified Dementia Practitioner. She resides with her family in Surrey.

Account Manager, Monarch Floor & Window Coverings

Merv Sandrel’s businesses have been Chamber Members since 1990 with Hallmark Carpets, Ball Park Sports and now Monarch Floors and Window Coverings, as well as serving as a director for 2 terms from 1998-2001. Originally owning and operating the largest floorcovering company on the peninsula, he sold it to the employees in 2008. Fulfilling a promise made to Bill Reid, he opened up a new business in Cloverdale in 2009 (North White Rock as Mr. Reid called it). He ran Ball Park Sports for 10 years before selling it to retire. Both these companies won a combined 4 Business Excellence Awards over the years. 

Today, after failing miserably to retire twice and missing the challenges of business, he is now the account manager for Monarch overseeing the South Surrey, White Rock and Langley market. Merv still will say that it was his company’s involvement with the community and the Chamber that attributed to the success he and his employees had over many years. He is looking forward to help continue the good work that the Directors and the Staff of the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce do for the community.

Advertising Manager, Peace Arch News

Steve has spent the last 30 years in media advertising, working in management with large media corporations. Over the years these opportunities have allowed Steve to work with many different businesses, where he now has knowledge in a wide range of industries. Building relationships with business people is what Steve does best, and he prides himself on working with business owners and managers to help build awareness of both their business and their brands. Steve has always maintained his 3 core values: Honesty - Accountability - Integrity in every aspect of both his personal life and business career. In his tenure with Black Press Media and the Peace Arch News, Steve has worked and volunteered with many of the non-profit groups here on the peninsula, and has supported many fund raising initiatives to help make the community a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Regional Manager, TD Wealth Financial Planning

Suneet has lived in White Rock for over 10 years. She is a Biology and Economics graduate from Simon Fraser University. She has worked in various positions within the banking industry for the last 15 years. In her current position she is the Branch Manager of local TD Ocean Park branch located in South Surrey. Suneet is passionate about supporting the community she lives in and is looking forward to supporting the economic and social well-being of South Surrey & White Rock as a Director. She is a past member of the White Rock City Economic Investments Committee. Suneet is married to her husband Andy and have two young girls Siena and Avina. The family can often be found exploring local businesses in South Surrey & White Rock and spending time at White Rock or Crescent Beach.

Executive Director, Brella Community Services Society

Louise Tremblay has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles in the private and non-for-profit sectors. Prior to joining Brella, she was concurrently the Director of Development at UNITI and a Consultant with the BC Association of Community Response Networks. She was also on the Board of Directors of Brella for 7 years, three of which she served as Chair. Louise earned a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University where she conducted a research project on inclusive workplaces. She was the recipient of the 2017 Surrey Board of Trade Woman in Business Award for not-for-profit leadership. Her volunteering activities include working for organizations providing services to older adults and people with disabilities and translating social science books for children with learning disabilities. Louise feels honoured and privileged to be working with collaborative groups who share her passion about developing inclusive and safe communities where diverse people can thrive and experience life to its fullest potential. While Louise was born and raised in Quebec, she lived much of her adult life in Western Canada, including Edmonton and Winnipeg. She has been a resident of South Surrey/White Rock since 1993.

Director, Surrey White Rock Community Engagement Society

James has been a consultant in shipping and logistics industry offering services for many multi-national companies, such as MSC, Mitsui, Hapag-Lloyd, CP ships, Evergeen, Hutchison Whampoa, etc., helping them enter the Chinese market. Through more than 32 years of work, James has accumulated a wealth of experience in China's affairs, regulatory matters, market intelligence, head hunting, pre-investment analysis and marketing strategies. Being a Director of Surrey White Rock Community Engagement Society, James actively participates in community activities to spread knowledge of Canadian democracy and enhance Chinese Canadians to embrace the Canadian multicultural identity.